643 
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66THUONGRESS ' 

/si Session 



SENATE 







/Document 
\ No. 143 



ID 643 
; .055 
1 1919b 
Copy 1 



RESERVATIONS 



RESERVATIONS TO 

THE TREATY OF PEACE 

WITH GERMANY 







PRESENTED BY MR. LODGE 

October 24 (legislative day, October 22), 1919. — Ordered to be printed 



WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1919 






D^ oi ;„«. 

'9 !» 



RESERVATIONS 

Reported by Mr. Lodge from the Committee on Foreign Relations: 

1 The committee also report the following reservations and 

2 understandings to be made a part and a condition of the resolu- 

3 tion of ratification, which ratification is not to take effect or 

4 bind the United States until the said following reservations and 

5 understandings have been accepted as a part and a condition 

6 of said instrument of ratification by at least three of the four 

7 Principal Allied and Associated Powers, to wit: Great Britain, 

8 France, Italy and Japan. 

9 1 . The .United States so understands and construes Article 1 

10 that in case of notice of withdrawal from the league of nations, 

11 as provided in said article, the United States shall be the sole 

12 judge as to whether all its international obligations and all its 

13 obligations under the said covenant have been fulfilled, and 

14 notice of withdrawal by the United States may be given by a 

15 concurrent resolution of the Congress of the United States. 

16 2. The United States assumes no obligation to preserve the 

17 territorial integrity or political independence of any other coun- 

18 try or to interfere in controversies between nations — whether 

19 members of the league or not — under the provisions of Article 

20 10, or to employ the military or naval forces of the United States 

21 under any article of the treaty for any purpose, unless in any 

22 particular case the Congress, which, under the Constitution, has 

23 the sole power to declare war or authorize the employment of 

(3) 



4 

1 the military or naval forces of the United States, shall by act 

2 or joint resolution so provide. 

3 3. No mandate shall be accepted by the United States under 

4 Article 22, Part 1, or any other provision of the treaty of peace 

5 with Germany, except by action of the Congress of the United 

6 States. 

7 4. The United States reserves to itself exclusively the right 

8 to decide what questions are within its domestic jurisdiction 

9 and declares that all domestic and political questions relating 

10 wholly or in part to its internal affairs, including immigration, 

11 labor, coastwise traffic, the tariff, commerce, the suppression 

12 of traffic in women and children and in opium and other clan- 

13 gerous drugs, and all other domestic questions, are solely within 

14 the jurisdiction of the United States and are not under this 

15 treaty to be submitted in any way either to arbitration or to the 

16 consideration of. the council or of the assembly of the league of 

17 nations, or any agency thereof, or to the decision or recom- 

18 mendation of any other power. 

19 5. The United States will not submit to arbitration or to , 

20 inquiry by the assembly or by the council of the league of 

21 nations, provided for in said treaty of peace, any questions 

22 which in the judgment of the United States depend upon or 

23 relate to its long established policy commonly known as the 

24 Monroe doctrine; said doctrine is to be interpreted by the 

25 United States alone and is hereby declared to be wholly out- 

26 side the jurisdiction of said league of nations and entirely 

27 unaffected by any provision contained in the said treaty of 

28 peace with Germany. 



5 

1 6. The United States withholds its assent to Articles 156, 157 

2 and 158 and reserves full liberty of action with respect to any 

3 controversy which may arise under said articles between the 

4 Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. 

5 7. The Congress of the United States will provide by law for 

6 the appointment of the representatives of the United States in 

7 the assembly and the council of the league of nations and may 

8 in its discretion provide for the participation of the United 

9 States in any commission, committee, tribunal, court, council 

10 or conference, or in the selection of any members thereof and 

11 for the appointment of members of said commissions, com- 

12 mittees, tribunals, courts, councils or conferences, or any other 

13 representatives under the treaty of peace, or in carrying out 

14 its provisions, and until such participation and appointment 

15 have been so provided for and the powers and duties of such 

16 representatives so defined, no person shall represent the United 

17 States under either said league of nations or the treaty of peace 

18 with Germany or be authorized to perform any act for or on 

19 behalf of the United States thereunder and no citizen of the 

20 United States shall be selected or appointed as a member of 

21 said commissions, committees, tribunals, courts, councils or 

22 conferences, except with the approval of the Senate of the 

23 United States. 

24 8. The United States understands that the reparation com- 

25 mission will regulate or interfere with exports from the United 

26 States to Germany, or from Germany to the United States, only 

27 when the United States by Act or Joint Resolution of Congress 

28 approves such regulation or interference. 



6 

1 9. The United States shall not be obligated to contribute to 

2 any expenses of the league of nations, or of the secretariat, or of 

3 any commission, or committee, or conference, or other agency, 

4 organized under the league of nations or under the treaty or for 

5 the purpose of carrying out the treaty provisions, unless and until 

6 an appropriation of funds available for such expenses shall have 

7 been made by the Congress of the United States. 

8 10. If the United States shall at any time adopt any plan for 

9 the limitation of armaments proposed by the council of the 

10 league of nations under the provisions of Article 8, it reserves 

1 1 the right to increase such armaments without the consent of the 

12 council whenever the United States is threatened with invasion 

13 or engaged in war. 

14 11. The United States reserves the right to permit, in its dis- 

15 cretion, the nationals of a covenant-breaking State, as defined 

16 in Article 16 of the covenant of the league of nations, residing 

17 within the United States or in countries other than that vio- 

18 lating said Article 16, to continue their commercial, financial, 

19 and personal relations with the nationals of the United States. 

20 12. Nothing hi Articles 296, 297, or in any of the annexes 

21 thereto or in any other article, section or annex of the treaty 

22 of peace with Germany shall, as against citizens of the United 

23 States, be taken to mean any confirmation, ratification or ap- 

24 proval of any act otherwise illegal or in contravention of the 

25 rights of citizens of the United States. 

26 13. The United States declines to accept any interest, as 

27 trustee or in her own right, or any responsibility for the gov- 

28 ernment or disposition of the overseas possessions of Germany, 



7 

1 her rights and titles to which Germany renounces to the 

2 Principal Allied and Associated Powers under Articles 119 to 

3 127 inclusive. 

4 14. The United States reserves to itself exclusively the right 

5 to decide what questions affect its honor or its vital interests 

6 and declares that such questions are not under this treaty to 

7 be submitted in any way either to arbitration or to the con- 

8 sideration of the council or of the assembly of the league of 

9 nations or any agency thereof or to the decision or recommenda- 
10 tion of any other power. 

o 



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